Let’s be Clear on ‘Pakistan ka Matlab Kya?’

A lot has been enchanted on twitter, facebook, blogs and other muzzling protests opposing the Geo TV campaign of “Parhne likhnay k siwa Pakistan ka matlab kya”? Let me say that being the supra-genius nation we have been evolved, every individual is bluffed with the ability of trenchant criticism. Free advice is so common that everyone is Maulvi in himself, the wise grandmothers are hunting all around, Mr. Tom, Dick or Harry Puttar has magical powers to explain all the mysterious ills of society. And not to mention, the right to the ‘freedom of expression’ has inherently dribbled into our genomes.

Going through the PEMRA site and accidently visiting the Complaints Call Center where many online pseudo-Muftis have decreed the Fatwas against Geo TV about their campaign of “Parhnay likhnay k siwa Pakistan ka matlab kya?” The intellectual pabulum extends up to saying that “this is totally against Pakistan ideology, please stop this”. Another said “it is in heavy contradiction with the religious and constitutional reference of Pakistan ka matlab kya?” The conspiracy specialists were sleuthing the channel in chorus, so much so that the brigade went on to say “Tamaam news channels ko band kar dena chahye”. Needless to say, such is the freaking level of our creaking criticism.

Before putting the case on the table, let’s consider the famous quote of Mr. Jinnah “Come forward as servants of Islam, organize the people economically, socially, educationally and politically and I am sure that you will be a power that will be accepted by everybody”.

The rapport of Islam with education and its constant reinforcement on seeking knowledge with meticulous quench of truth has remained credential throughout the history. The holy Quran and Sunnah are full with such overwhelming messages. Keeping the notion in mind, I failed to understand how on earth can an educational campaign attack the Islamic ideology?

Scrutinizing the history, the slogan “Pakistan ka matlab kya?” was an epitome for the election campaign of All India Muslim League during the 1945-46 General Elections in the sub-continent. The idea became so vociferously popular that it fueled the Muslim sentiments exponentially and thereby escalating the ideological movement of Pakistan. Though symbolic and laconic but the slogan proved ephemeral soon after independence. It was until 1956 that even the word Islam was not added to the name Republic of Pakistan. Edited in the 1956 constitution, rubbed in 1962’s constitution and then finally revamped in 1973’s constitution, still in place, the identity of the country became Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Dandled with the country name, the slogans too are subject to change considering the epoch of time. With turbulence and trepidation roaming feverishly on our T.V screens, if some channel is showcasing the real issue vis-a-vis education, let us applause for that specific nostrum. Inviting India and Israel as backdrop founders on every issue speaks toothless shenanigans, whereby harbingering the cal-de-sac progress. Before the parochial mob brand me as Geo Agent, lest assure I pay my accolades exclusive to the educational campaign.

Covering the legal perspective as well, the channel does not violate any constitutional clause or code of ethics. The campaign vocationally obeys all the sterling requirements of media ethics prescribed in the updated version of PEMRA Content Regulations 2012 issued on October 10, Wednesday.

Enough has been said, argued and written about the state of media in Pakistan. Whether it is print or electronic or the newly born online news, calling these mediums as fallacious and fraudulent to the utmost altitude has not yet promised any mesmerizing fallout. The reason being the same: we don’t tend to appreciate things that we should. Criticizing both flips of the coin is by far the most unfortunate causality in forming our perceptions. We should have the bravado to say white as white and blue as blue!

“Keeping the notion in mind, I failed to understand how on earth can an educational campaign attack the Islamic ideology?”

Assalam o Alaikum, dear brother an educational campaign can attack the islamic ideology if it emphasizes that a child may have a good future if he studies MATHS, PHYSICS and CHEMISTRY rather than if he had learned and recited THE HOLY QURAN and SUNNAH.

WE NEED TO WAKE UP BEFORE ETERNAL SLEEP. our current condition is similar to that student who has his physics exam the next day and he is preparing for it by studing DEWAN-E-GHALIB .

sraza

I Dont Undersand… why they hate education.. when the first word of Quran was IQRA. means parho or study in english. Are both different thing ??….. Go geo you are doing excellent Work. I feel very sorry when ever i come back to Pakistan and still see lot of uneducated illiterate people thinking they are some super creature.

Damn you all the maulvis… you are the biggest cancer and plagued for pakistan

OK

You are mistaken .. We dont say we are against education .. We love to get educated under the lightings of holy quran and Sunnah.. This slogan is incomplete and misses vital teachings of Islam, e.g, get Islamic education then worldly education, live according to shariya, respect your elders etc .. What if somebody steals some of your jewelry while leaving a small portion of it in your locker ? Would you be happy with the remaining gold? we wont be happy only with education , we will be happy only with ISLAM

sraza

then what do u say about 100s of schools demolished in KPK. Are not they maulvis, This is the problem here almost all the maulvis including shia sunni barelvi all of them are scar on the face of Pakistan. they themselve dont study and never promote Education. We all know these maulvis claim sir syed ahmed khan kaffir because he translated english books to urdu. We dont have to go too deep in history. our last Muslim Rulers were illiterate and never promote education nor did any thing for Science in the Mid Era (14 century to 20th Century). Dont we study how brilliant were our former Scientist in muslims golden era. Take a list out of wikipedia then you know out of sudden we stop Scientific education and started promoting poetry and other useless stuff. while Nadir shah and others were raiding for treasures.

Com-mon…. what ever the slogan meaning you think the correct translation is pure land .

Geo is just giving facts. The slogan is pretty much motivating and translating almost same thing. Go geo you are doing wonderful job…

usman

you need to be sencible to get this thing out of what every one said …”why to change this slogan ” to motivate every one for study… or to create an other issue to argue without any reason… and then to prove they are all maulvi…. what a bull ….

Aamir

But Geo Tv need to change slogan wording without this slogan wording Is it impossible to promote education so pitty on Geo…

iffi123

can u ppl just keep ur mouth shut and stop dictating how pakistan shud be .Pakistan came into being in the name of islam and it will INSHALLAH it will prosper in the name of islam no matter how hard media and ppl like u try to portray it other way round ALLAH-O-AKBAR

http://www.facebook.com/zeeshan.sheikh.786 Zeeshan Sheikh

The question is why they used this slogan. The first thing comes to every mind is that they are changing that on purpose. they can use much better slogans. even the islamic quotes. but geo channel has to distort ideologies. first aman ki aasha and now this

http://www.facebook.com/wasrana Waseem Rana

Thank you for the “free advice”.

OK

Why thank anyone who is going to mislead the nation even with free advice

Kamran Yusuf

Haha! The writer becomes a Mufti himself now. Lol!
To the writer: Refresh your brains, for free advice isn’t only given by people who follow a certain religion.

Muslim history is replete with Mir Jaffer and Mir Sadiq who brought down glorious and brave rulers, for petty silver or gold. They sold their souls to the devil and are condemned eternally, everywhere. For GEO TV to adopt a nasty and vulgar slogan that hits the dignity of the country, it is both grotesque and unpardonable. Sarcasm or pinch the patriotic nerve, the slogan serves neither and is insipid and insane. Nothing ever is perfect, save the Divine System of Allah.
It is most unfortunate that public sentiments were drummed up to a frenzy and the motivational slogan of “Pakistan ka mutlab kiya?” unified a fragmented Muslim nation and under the dynamic leadership of Quaid-e-Azam, they rallied round, their sacrifices and their spirited demands eventually carved out Pakistan from Indian Dominion. If the later regimes sent the original essence, the driving force, that created a country, to the back burners, it was expediency at worst or catapult at best.
The world is out to prove that Islamic State is an impediment to the current trends of cultural and political evolution, and they implanted Lawrence of Arabia to implode a sprawling Islamic caliphate, the Ottoman Empire, that encompassed a geographic unity greater than US and Canada.
Like the Christians and the Jews, Muslims also believe that at the End Times, Prophet Jesus would re-emerge to rid the World of all division, differentiation and diseases to bring Peace, Harmony and Tranquility to Mankind. Each religious belief center their concept of superiority to excel others.
Pakistan is not an Islamic State and the perdition it suffers at the hands of the militant maulvi or maverick mullah is conspired to rush to its doom of its own volition.

khan

or may be the writer hatched a conspiracy to deviatae from the original line of Pakistan’s creation

Engr. Ali Ghafoor

there are certain power who would not like to see growing education in pakistan. But in the mean time as two days before my nephew of age 7 was calling “PRHNAY LIKHNAY KAY SIWA PAKISTAN KA MTLB KIA”. So this is the thing that people like marvi sarmand will like to.So to speak about the education is the only GEO’s campaign that I personally like. In the mean time our base is Islam we will not allow secular or other powers to grow.

NASAH (USA)

“In the mean time our base is Islam we will not allow secular or other powers to grow.”

Then — “PRHNAY LIKHNAY KA MTLB KIA” — “ENGINEER BUN NAY KA MTLB KIA”

sraza

Dont Undersand… why they hate education.. when the first word of
Quran was IQRA. means parho or study in english. Are both different
thing ??….. Go geo you are doing excellent Work. I feel very sorry
when ever i come back to Pakistan and still see lot of uneducated
illiterate people thinking they are some super creature.

Damn you all the maulvis… you are the biggest cancer and plagued for pakistan

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1000473353 Zuhair Anwar

There are a lot more universities, colleges and schools in India than their are in Pakistan. If the sole purpose of Pakistan is education then why not go back and merge with India? Give me a convincing answer Mr. Geo Defender.

NASAH (USA)

” There are a lot more universities, colleges and schools in India than their are in Pakistan. If the sole purpose of Pakistan is education then why not go back and merge with India?”

I have never read such a convoluted stupid argument — read your post again Zuhair miaN, and tell us if you are complimenting India and denigrating Pakistan — or the vice versa — being proud of your Pakistani illiteracy and ignorance — as the “Nishan-e Imtiaz” medal?

Anonymous

If we were a nation that had lived and breathed the slogan (“Pakistan ka matlab kya, La ilaha illa Allah”)
that had galvanized a generation to form this country, I would have
been more open to modifying it with a pseudo-synonym slogan such as that
used by Geo (for all the reasons mentioned by the pro-Geo camp that it
essentially means the same thing). However, for a country that has
nearly lost its reason for existence, and for a generation that has no
association with the ideology of our founding fathers, changing even the
slightest wording in that slogan is counter-productive, let alone
snatching from it the cohesive element that gave this country its raison
d’etre – Islam.

http://www.facebook.com/raosadaf.akbar Rao Sadaf Akbar

very well and eye opening article for every one …. superbb

Adnan Muhammad

So لا اله الّ اللہ doesn’t encompasses education ? ….Does Islam prohibits
education? If not then Why on earth would you change the most popular slogan of
Pakistan movement having so much heartfelt associations with it.

Pakistanis are one confused people. They are about to go in the dustbin of history, just pity them.

qamarzahid

I think geo should change the slogan if people are not happy with it, as it will effect their campaign that is for a good purpose. It can be “parhnne likhne ki siwa, pakistan ka MAQSAD kya” or anything meaningful

It was the basis of Pakistan, if you want to make it controversial Read the first article of constitution of Pakistan and all previous constitiutions.

http://www.facebook.com/zeeshan.sheikh.786 Zeeshan Sheikh

Why are you worrying, you are not even in Pakistan. Back off and mid your own business

http://www.facebook.com/people/Ashar-Pervez/594016489 Ashar Pervez

An ignorant reply at best. Kindly refer to Mr. Jinnah’s speeches so that you know what kind of a state he wanted. It certainly wasn’t a secular one.

M.Saeed

That was a slogan generated by Muslim masses for gaining momentum in their struggle for a seperate homeland for them. It was also a clear message to Hindus about the existance of “Two Nations” in need of seperate homelands where they would be free to live in peace and harmoney without fear of any curbs on their ways of life.

But, the unnatural division based upon dual standards applied for the princely states of Kashmir and Hyderabad Duccan created a perpetually blistering rift between the two nations that has completely defeated the very purpose of partition. If Kashmir issue had been decided on the same basis as Hyderabad-Duccan, there would have been no cause for friction between India and Pakistan. On the contrary, they would have joined hands to become the real “Asian-Economic-Tigers”, racing ahead of Japan and China.
What a price being paid by almost 1.6 billion people for the departing gift of the British!

NASAH (USA)

Never send that foot-in-mouth idiot to India again — if you want to explain to Indians — “Pakistan ka Matlab keya”.

Pakistan ka matlab is definitely NOT – Hafiz Saeed.

NASAH (USA)

Mohammed Ali Jinnah did not create Pakistan for either of the two institutions — the army or the clergy to take control over it — Jinnah was a democrat and a constitutionalist — even though the Qaid used religion to gain Pakistan — he knew as long as Pakistan remained a parliamentary form of government people will never elect the Mullahs in enough numbers to gain power at the center or at the provincial level — and he was right.

What Mr. Jinnah did not expect — the army muscling itself into power through the back door by putting the Constitution in ‘abeyance’ and abolishing democracy with almost 30 years of army rule out of 65 years of Pakistan existence.

Mr. Jinnah who in the best traditions of British civilian control over army — never imagined Pakistan army to be any different either from the British army or the Indian army — in staying out of politics and in taking orders from the civilians.

Army in politics — religion in politics — as well as Mulla-military alliance during Zia and Musharraf times — have immensely hurt Pakistan — made Pakistan very anemic as far as democracy is concerned — though one has to admit that Musharraf was hundred times better than that fascist Zia — yet nothing — not the army nor the Mulla could prevent Pakistan from returning to its democratic roots as a South Asian country in 2008 — after 9 years of uninterrupted army dictatorship.

Unlike a Middle Eastern Egypt — “Aasman se gira khajoor meiN atka” — that took a leap from the clutches of the well entrenched military dictatorship only to fall into the lap of an Islamist dictatorship.

In Pakistan there soon will be a change of government through elections — for the first time in the 65 years old history of the country — a civilian government will be replaced by another civilian government — through an election — not by an army coup d’etat nor by an Islamist coup d’etat.

And those who want to know the MEANING of — “Pakistan ka Matlab Keya” — That is the difference between the Middle East Arabs and the Jinnah’s Pakistanis.

NASAH (USA)

You need to merge with India for more education!

Taj Ahmad

Pakistan Government must spend 60% of budget on education, 20% on defense,
20% on other expenses such as Trade, Sports, Films and New Developments.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Hadi-Sakey/100000836990043 Hadi Sakey

Pakistan did not come in the name of Islam at all. There was no slogan like Pakistan Ka Matlab Kya? This is bull shit. I was very much grown up and accompanied the Cycle delegation with Mujibur Rahman (Bangla Bandhu) from Patna to Delhi. Our slogan throughout was Lay Kay Raheingay Pakistan. Bun Kay Rahay ga Pakistan. Students from Lucknow, Aligarh joined us upto Delhi. Pakistan was demanded to be a home land for Muslims. Islam was never never discussed from the platform of Muslim League. Had it been demanded for Islam then why Maulanas Maudoodi and Hamid Badayooni opposed the creation of Pakistan. Why Maulana Maudoodi scoffed the Muslim Nationalism. Maulana Maudoodi wrote in his book that Muslim Nationalism is chaste prostitution.